"The last thing I heard
Was you whispering goodbye
And then I heard you flatline!"
She had heard somewhere, that tears were prayers. That if a person cried, they showed that they believed in more than this world, more than what could just be seen and heard and felt.
If that was true, she had been praying for a solid quarter of an hour, now. If Tenzin hadn't radioed in, they had failed. Aangs children would probably have triumphed in a fair fight—but Boomie was a novice bender, and Tenzin and Kya were sorely outnumbered.
Maybe Zuko had a point. Maybe Aang would have gone and surrendered to save them. Judging by what she wasn't hearing on the radio, it was too late for that.
They had been like her family. And somehow, her personal war had doomed them. Her father and the others were busy preparing the airship and gathering a small army. She wondered how many of them would die if they went to the Northern Air Temple with her.
"Hey." A quiet voice said. She turned. Mako stood on the other side of the luxurious room. Metal benders had style, that was for sure. She expected him to continue, but he didn't. He just looked at her steadily.
"What?" She barked, trying to speak with an even tone, let the grief go.
"It's not your fault." Mako said evenly. "We did our best. Instead of going back to Republic City, we tracked our enemy through the dessert, fought hard. We did our best, and it led to here. Bolin and I could never have found you with enough time to warn Tenzin, and we couldn't get to a radio in time."
"I know, Mako, I know." Korra said, wiping another tear.
"Yes, you know." He said firmly. "So accept it. We did our best, but bad things happen. There's nothing left to do but put one foot in front of the other, and keep moving."
"Mako… if he's got Tenzin and the airbenders, I might not have a choice. If I refuse to surrender… I can't risk their lives."
"And how many thousands of people will die if the Red Lotus has their way? Remember what happened the last time the Avatar vanished from the world? The Air nomands were massacred." Mako said firmly.
"Korra!" Bolin shouted, fearful, from the corridor. He appeared at the door a moment later. "Korra, it's Zaheer! He wants to speak to you!" She wiped her face, took a gulp of water from a pitcher, and ran for the radio room. Her father and the others were gathered in silence. Tonraq silently gestured to the radio, and she sat down.
"Speak." Korra said coldly.
"Avatar Korra." The cultured, calm voice replied. "We have some unfinished business, you and I. And now, what's left of the fledgling air nation is at stake."
"What assurances do you offer, that you will keep your word and not harm them, if I surrender?" Korra asked. Her father winced as if he had been struck.
"I give you my word as an airbender." The voice said smoothly.
"And what is that worth? The promise of a man who reduces innocent lives to bargaining chips?" Korra retorted. "I want to speak with Tenzin. Put him on, now." There was a brief silence.
"Regretfully, that is not possible." Zaheer said. "Master Tenzin refused to see reason. My colleagues and I were unable to reach a peaceable agreement with him… we had no choice but to kill him. He died a noble death, with honor."
Korra froze, staring at the radio, not seeing anything. The world wasn't ending.
But it felt that way. Pain wracked through her, robbing her of her strength, making her arms shake, putting a void where her heart had been. Tenzin. Tenzin, the loving father, the mentor, the friend, the ally, the brother. Someone who had stood by her through peril and conflict.
"...all the more reason for you to peacefully surrender yourself, Avatar, before more innocent lives are lost." Zaheer continued, calm and diplomatic. Grief turned to rage, and Korra felt strength flood through her, Raava joining her voice. She wasn't sure whose words they were, nor did she care.
"There will be no peace when we meet, no bargaining with murderous pretenders." Korra said icily into the radio, supernatural wrath and might in her words, speaking with the strength of spirit inside her. "That is the deal I offer you. There is no army strong enough to protect you and your allies, Zaheer. No mountain large enough to hide you, nor ocean wide enough to stop me. Your life will be the price for your crimes!"
The radio was silent. Korra didn't try clicking it again. The light left her eyes, and she almost sagged, putting her head in her hands.
"We'll rescue the airbenders, Korra." Tonraq said.
"We have to..." Korra said. "We must."
"No! Not gonna die tonight,
We're gonna stand and fight forever!
Don't close your eyes!
No, not gonna die tonight,
We're gonna fight for us together!"
-"Not Gonna Die"